Growing Season Plans Survey to be Mailed in February

The cool winter temperatures and frequent snow storms in Wisconsin make the 2018 crop production season feels like a far off event. In reality the season is quickly approaching and soon, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season.

“Each year, the agriculture industry eagerly awaits USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, which provides the first survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ planting intentions for the year,” said NASS’ Wisconsin State Statistician Greg Bussler. “The March Agricultural Survey provides the factual data that underpins these projections, making it one of the most important surveys we conduct each year.”

The survey questionnaire will be mailed to farmers in February. The questionnaire is asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2018, how many acres they intend to plant and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms.

Producers are encouraged to respond online or by mail. Those producers who do not respond by the deadline may be contacted for a telephone or personal interview. NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

The results of the survey will be published in the Prospective Plantings and quarterly Grain Stocks report that will be released on March 29, 2018.